During his freshman season Bryant Lewis was thrown into the fire of being the Lehman starting quarterback after then starting quarterback Daniel O’Neal went down with an injury in the third game of the 2017 season.
The transition from wide receiver to quarterback was easy for Lewis since he had played both positions for most of his life, but the expectations and pressure of the quarterback position proved to be a lot to handle during his freshman campaign.
“It was pretty nerve-wracking, because it was also my third game,” Lewis said. “I had been practicing a lot with the quarterbacks taking one or two reps, but I didn’t expect it to happen, it just came out of nowhere. During halftime I didn’t know what to do and I asked coach what I could do to stay calm. I knew it would be bad for me to freeze up in front of everyone whenever it was my job to get the job done. I just knew I had to execute.”
Lewis flashed some incredible playmaking ability with his feet throughout the season, which was highlighted by a 63-yard touchdown in his first game as the Lobo signal caller. Since the Lehman coaching change in the offseason, Lewis has been working at both quarterback and wide receiver under new head coach Bruce Salmon’s new offense.
“The offseason has been going pretty good,” said Lewis. “We’ve been learning the new offense and learning how to come together instead of rushing into things real fast.”
Known as an uber-athletic rushing quarterback his freshman year, Lewis is working on his passing game going into his sophomore season. Throughout the spring and summer workouts Lewis has been working on his accuracy and footwork. Another big goal of his is to be able to take better command of the offense this time around.
“My goal is to be able to run the offense better,” Lewis said. “Like go in with a game plan and not just going in trying to do my job, I need to learn how to be more comfortable. Last year there was so much pressure, and this year I feel like I will be more relaxed in order to take control of the game.”
Lewis said he enjoys studying and watching the game of Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones. For the quarterback position, Lewis wants to model the game play of former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning and Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton.
Going into the summer Lewis and the Lobos have participated in multiple 7-on-7 events at local high schools and have been able to show the improvement they made over the offseason. Lewis saw action at both quarterback and wide receiver during the 7-on-7 play.
“We’ve done really good at our tournaments,” Lewis said. “We went to the San Marcos tournament and we went 4-2, and then we went to a Rouse tournament and we got 4th place out of that.”
Lewis said he always wants to improve his speed. Lewis is also part of the Lehman track program, and has been clocked at a 4.45-second 40-yard dash. The love of running is a big part of Lewis’ decision to both play football and track.
“I just love running to be honest,” Lewis said. “Like every day, if my workout includes running, I love to do it.”
Lewis’ goal for his upcoming sophomore season is to continue to improve on a weekly basis and to settle in and communicate better with the offense. Lewis will be a key piece to the Lobo puzzle heading into the 2018 season.
“We want to start strong and finish strong,” Lewis said about his goals. “Also being able to communicate and talk on the field while plays are going. Not getting side tracked and just keeping your mind on one goal. Just trying to get better and to win.”
